It is a thankless job, that of being a mother. Even more thankless is being a step mother. The work is never done. There is always cooking, cleaning, homework, laundry, medicine, sports and school events to attend. IT. NEVER. ENDS.
I do not have biological children. I never wanted any honestly. I have a commitment issue but I really freak out when I find out something is permanent. So you ask "how are you a step mother when that has potential to be permanent"? To be frank, I fell in love with the children's dad. I had no idea of just how hard it would be to be a part-time parent. Every and I mean EVERY fiber of my existence has been tested and taunted.
Being an only child was the first thing working against me. I don't understand sharing, nagging or fighting with a sibling. The other thing working against me is the kid's biological mom, we'll call her um, Crazy Train (no surprise) from here on out. Let me give you an idea:
1. Crazy Train remarried within 2 weeks of divorcing. To me this is a co-dependent function - she can't be alone.
2. Crazy Train has had more jobs & moved more in 3 years than I have in the past decade. To me this is unstable.
3. Crazy Train been trying for 5 years to get a 2 year degree. She's lied about her grades, being in an accelerated program and her acceptance into 3 nursing schools. What is the point? Don't you think someone will recognize you never graduated?
4. Crazy Train shows severe favoritism to her daughters & not her son.
5. Crazy Train has shared information with her ex-husband (my man friend) that he doesn't need to know such as: she is getting fake boobs, she can't keep her new husband off her, she has sex in the closet because the youngest child sleeps in the bed with them.
6. Crazy Train has allowed her children to be truant in their schooling. True conversation she had with my man friend "I am not going to take the kids to the doctor every time they are sick, I am educated". The school's policy for absences is if a child misses, there has to be an excuse, as in a doctor's excuse, death or natural disaster.
6. One of the best lies Crazy Train has told her child --- let me set up the situation first: they had moved into a house. There was minimal furniture & the kids were sleeping on cots & mattresses on the floor. The move happened in December. The kids slept this way for a few months. I asked the oldest daughter when she was going to get her bed & the answer was this "Mom said that my bed is being specially made. Like people are making it right now outside of the country". When she got her bed in June, it was a yard sale head & footboard purchased by her grandparents.
7. She told my man friend that her husband wouldn't allow her to be friends with me. That I wasn't just being nice, that I was trying to get information. Typically when people talk to another, information is given & received, right?
8. Crazy Train often brags about money. "I'll pay for everything!" "I have $67,000 in the bank!" I have "$6,000 in the bank!" "I am going to be in a car commercial & my boss said if I didn't do it he would fire me."
9. Crazy Train told my man friend that her new husband was going to become a pastor & she had to take classes to "learn to be a pastor's wife". WTH?
10. Crazy Train and her family are moving again. She told my man friend that the house they were living in was sold (it was a rental) & they had 30 days to get out. So I investigated. I was told the house wasn't for sale & the tenants had given notice this week. Who lied and why?
11. No internet. Crazy Train has her 3 kids plus 2 step kids every other week in her home & let's not forget she is a nursing student --- how can they live without internet? They all need it for school including her, right? Oh wait...she said that the wire going into their house was bad & it was going to be repaired. Oh wait, it takes 6 months to get it repaired, yeah, that sounds right. So in the meantime, the oldest daughter uses her phone as a hot spot for the whole bunch. We pay for the oldest daughter's phone & data package!
Look, I had a step dad. He never lied to me. Never mistreated my mother. He was there for me when my real father wasn't. I am not completely vanilla to what happens when your parents divorce & remarry. My point is this...this crazy woman could have someone in her children's life that didn't care about them, cook for them, clean for them, spend money on them. I am not trying to come out smelling like a rose here, not the intent, but how is it that what I do is not good enough? Do I give them to much? Not enough? At our house, everyone kid has their own room, their own space. Isn't that a little special? They all have TV's, internet use. We take them out to dinner every week they are with us. Crazy Train tells them it costs too much money to eat out, but she brags about how much she has in the bank. Confused? Join the crowd.
It is a very, very thankless job & I cannot wait to reap the rewards (if there are any).
2024 Project 365 – Week Forty-nine
5 days ago
